Environment & Ecology

What’s in the water? Domoic acid poisons marine mammals along Southern California coast

Since late March, beachgoers have encountered hundreds of washed-up animals suffering from domoic acid poisoning with symptoms that include seizures, erratic and dangerous behavior and comas.
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UCSB student organizations making strides in sustainability

From educating future environmental scientists to building rainwater catchment systems in Rwanda, these student-led organizations are at the heart of UC Santa Barbara’s sustainability efforts. 
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Author Richard Powers speaks on the intersections of science, literature and environmental loss

On Feb. 23, bestselling author Richard Powers prompted an audience of nearly 800 people in Campbell Hall to consider the environment as more than just a literary backdrop but a living, breathing and e...
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The Buzz Around the bee exhibit: A look at Santa Barbara’s pollinators

An exciting new exhibit, “Through the Looking Glass: A Microscopic Look at our Native Bees,” has been installed at the UC Santa Barbara library to showcase some of the true local bees in the area ...
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The hidden environmental cost of groundbreaking AI models

Although large language models are an exciting piece of innovation that have vastly transformed the landscape of information technology, the environmental impacts of AI are often ignored and swept und...
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UCSB student selected for prestigious Land Trust Alliance and USDA Conservation Scholars Program

Lena Rose Ouse Hicks, a fourth-year environmental studies major with a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies at UC Santa Barbara, has been awarded the prestigious 2024–25 Scholars for Cons...
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UCSB secures $22 million NSF grant to explore unusual microbes

The BioFoundry for Extreme & Exceptional Fungi, Archaea and Bacteria was one of five facilities awarded a $22 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
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UCSB’s MCDB department introduces new major

Embracing the dynamic landscape of biology, UC Santa Barbara introduces a new major, molecular and cellular biology (MCB), offering students the flexibility to forge their own learning path. As the ex...
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Maykonome: Conservationist and photographer Cristina Mittermeier speaks on ocean protection efforts

On Friday, May 10, Cristina Mittermeier spoke as part of UC Santa Barbara’s Arts and Lectures “Earth, Air, Fire, Water” series, sharing with audiences her experiences as a photographer and how t...
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Diversifying the outdoors with wildlife biologist Rae Wynn-Grant

Four-time Emmy-nominated ecologist, television personality, author and Bren School of Environmental Science and Management researcher Rae Wynn-Grant spoke at the Pacific View Room at UC Santa Barbara ...
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“What if We Get it Right?”: Author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson urges audience to consider the possibility of creating a climate-friendly future

On May 7, UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures hosted marine biologist, policy expert and author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
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NYU professor proposes solutions for sustainable agriculture at Bren Hall

On April 29 Sonali McDermid, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University, presented at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren Hall to share her expertise on sustainable methods of reducing ...
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UCSB doctoral student named Schmidt Science Fellow, aims to advance pollution monitoring

UC Santa Barbara doctoral student Satish Kumar was one of 32 early-career scientists from 17 nationalities to be recently chosen as a 2024 Schmidt Science Fellow, a prestigious postdoctoral program.
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Are we fossil fools? A wake-up call for Earth Day

In honor of this year’s Earth Day, two determined engineers by the names of Craig Smith and William Fletcher presented their key findings on climate change at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural His...
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Faculty Feature: Dr. Jean-Marie Volland’s road to UCSB

Dr. Jean-Marie Volland, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UC Santa Barbara, is delving into the micro-world beyond the scope of the microsco...
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